- Waymo has expanded its autonomous ride-hailing service to more neighbourhoods in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
- Alphabet invested $5 billion in Waymo, highlighting the company’s major investment in expanding autonomous driving amid growing regulatory and safety concerns.
OUR TAKE
Alphabet’s Waymo is ramping up its autonomous ride-hailing services in new areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles, showing how much demand there is for driverless technology. As companies like General Motors and Amazon’s Zoox step up their investments, Waymo’s strategic expansion could be a really big deal in how we think about and use autonomous transportation. It seems to me that this move is a major shift towards safer and more efficient ways of getting around cities, but it also raises some important questions about the economic and ethical implications of replacing human-driven vehicles with AI.
–Heidi Luo, BTW reporter
what happened
Waymo is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service to new areas in San Francisco and Los Angeles in response to growing customer demand.
This strategic move follows Waymo’s recent decision to eliminate waiting lists in San Francisco and open its Waymo One service to the general public, similar to what was done in Phoenix, Arizona four years ago.
The expansion is backed by Alphabet’s robust investment plan, with chief financial officer Ruth Porat announcing last month that the company will invest $5 billion in Waymo over the coming years to support its growth ambitions in the autonomous driving sector.
These developments come as Waymo’s industry rivals, such as General Motors and Amazon-owned Zoox, are also stepping up their efforts in the autonomous vehicle arena, signalling a heated race to dominate this innovative market sector.
Also read: Alphabet to invest $5B in Waymo to expedite auto-driving market
Also read: Tesla focuses on robotaxis while facing skepticism from experts
Why it’s important
Waymo, owned by Alphabet, is at the forefront of developing autonomous driving technology. Originally a project within Google, Waymo has evolved into a separate entity dedicated to refining and deploying self-driving technology.
The company operates Waymo One, an autonomous ride-hailing service that promises safe and efficient transportation through the integration of advanced AI and autonomous driving software.
In San Francisco, the expansion will include Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma, extending its operational footprint across the Peninsula. In Los Angeles, the expansion will include Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Playa Vista and parts of Hollywood, Chinatown and Westwood.
Numerous tech companies are investing in autonomous driving technology, despite concerns about the significant costs and long timeframes required for these investments to be profitable.
Uber reported on Tuesday that rides using autonomous vehicles on its platform increased sixfold in the second quarter. This increase was helped by collaborations with other companies, including Waymo, for both ride-sharing and food delivery services.
Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is emphasising developments in AI and autonomous driving technologies, including Robotaxis and a humanoid robot called Optimus. These innovations are aimed at countering a downturn in sales EVs, which currently account for around 78% of Tesla’s quarterly revenue.
